For countless Valorant fans, what should be an exciting moment—the arrival of a fresh patch—turns into a barrage of “pause,” “resume,” and head-scratching error messages.
Players across the globe report that their Valorant updates inexplicably pause, hang, or crawl at a snail’s pace. Why is this such a common headache, and what’s really to blame?
The Usual Suspects: Under the Hood
An investigation into gaming forums, support sites, and tech guides reveals several recurring culprits behind stalled Valorant updates:
- Unstable Internet Connection: Valorant updates are particularly sensitive to fluctuating or slow internet speeds. If your connection isn’t stable, even for a few seconds, the Riot Client often pauses the update to avoid corrupting game files. Downloading over WiFi, or during peak hours, can increase the risk of these interruptions; ethernet cables are recommended for a steadier connection.
- Insufficient Storage Space: If your main drive—or the one hosting Valorant—runs low on free space, updates may pause or fail completely. Many players discover this only after repeated failed attempts.
- Antivirus and Firewall Interference: Security software can block or throttle the Riot Client, mistaking updates for suspicious activity. Official support guidance suggests temporarily pausing antivirus or firewall protection—or manually whitelisting Valorant and Riot Vanguard—during the update process.
- Background Programs Hogging Resources: Running multiple heavy applications like Discord, Spotify, Steam, or other game launchers during an update stretches your RAM and hogs bandwidth. This can prompt the Riot Client to pause the update.
- Riot Vanguard Issues: Valorant’s anti-cheat system, Vanguard, can cause its own brand of trouble. If it’s not running properly or conflicts with the update, the process can grind to a halt.
- Outdated Drivers or OS: Sometimes the problem boils down to old graphics drivers or an out-of-date Windows version. Updates may stall until these are refreshed.
Reliable Fixes from the Trenches
While there’s no magic bullet, these steps have helped many players finally get their update bars moving again:
- Restart your network and PC: Unplug your router/modem for 30 seconds and reboot your computer.
- Close unnecessary apps: Shut down any other programs using internet or memory, especially browsers, Discord, and other launchers.
- Check and clear storage: Make sure at least 30GB is free on the drive Valorant is installed on.
- Whitelist Valorant and Riot Vanguard: Add both to your firewall and antivirus exceptions.
- Update your drivers and OS: Ensure both hardware drivers and Windows updates are current.
- Reinstall Vanguard if needed: Remove Vanguard, restart, then let the Riot Client reinstall it.
- Switch to a wired connection: If possible, avoid WiFi for better stability.
- Pause, then resume download or restart Client: Sometimes toggling these controls can “unstick” the update.
The Bigger Picture
For players, the repeated pauses aren’t just an inconvenience—they hint at deeper underlying issues with how game updates, security software, and personal hardware interact. Until Riot implements a more “repair-resistant” client, following the community’s troubleshooting roadmap is your best shot at pain-free patches.
The bottom line: Valorant updates can pause for many reasons, but most stem from network hiccups, insufficient storage, or conflicts with security software. With patience and a few tweaks, you can turn a stalled update into a successful game night.
Written by:
Christian